News

Glenn M. Cooper has been named a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), one of the premier legal associations in North America that extends invitations only to those trial attorneys who have maintained the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Mr. Cooper, who chairs the firm's Litigation group and co-chairs its Appellate and Family Law practice groups, was inducted at the ACTL Annual Meeting held in April.

Seven Paley Rothman attorneys have been named Maryland Super Lawyers for 2008, a distinguished list created via a multi-step evaluation process that includes peer recognition and professional achievement. Paula A. Calimafde, Glenn M. Cooper, Kathleen M. Dumais, Hope B. Eastman, Roy I. Niedermayer, Linda D. Schwartz and Steven A. Widdes were those lawyers selected. According to the publisher, the list is comprised of approximately 5% of the licensed, active lawyers in each jurisdiction who are selected in part through a statewide survey of attorneys.

Mark B. Bartram, a member of the firm's Estate Planning and Estate/Trust Administration practice groups, is the co-author of the recently-published Maryland Estate Planning and Probate Laws Annotated, a comprehensive volume of all of the legal references and annotations for all of the sections for the Estates and Trusts title of the state code along with summaries of the leading cases for each. The book, which provides the practitioner with a single source for interpreting the code sections and their application in common law and practice, was released in January 2008 by West Publishing.

Hope B. Eastman and Daniel S. Koch were included in The Best of the United States list of top employment lawyers assembled by a research-consulting firm dedicated to recognizing excellence among providers of professional services. Ms. Eastman chairs the firm's Employment Law practice group while Mr. Koch also belongs to its Government Contracts and Computer, Internet and Technology groups.

Marianne Kayan, who recently spoke at an American Bar Association Section of Real Property, Trust & Estate Law (RPTE)  "Meet & Greet" event for D.C. area law students, is scheduled to make a presentation on legislative proposals related to foreign trusts, expatriation and international tax compliance at that same group's Spring Symposium in May.  Ms. Kayan, a member of the firm's Tax, Estate Planning, Estate/Trust Administration and Business/Commercial Transactions practice groups, also has joined the Board of Directors of HasNA, a nonprofit organization that promotes economic empowerment in culturally divided areas of the world.

Steven L. Goldberg is the firm’s newest associate, having come to Paley Rothman in the fall of 2007 to work with the Bankruptcy / Creditors' Rights and Litigation practice groups. He deals with a myriad of debtor-creditor disputes and has represented clients in many aspects of Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases before the United States Bankruptcy Court. A former clerk for the Honorable Nancy V. Alquist on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland, Mr. Goldberg graduated magna cum laude from The University of Baltimore School of Law after earning his B.A. at Ithaca College. He is a member of the Maryland Bar, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Five Paley Rothman attorneys-- Glenn M. Cooper, Kathleen M. Dumais, Wayne D. Eig, Daniel P. Hodin and Howard B. Soypher --were named "Washington's Top Lawyers" by Washingtonian Magazine in a December 2007 article that acknowledged the top 1% of attorneys in the D.C. metro area. Mr. Cooper, Ms. Dumais and Mr. Soypher were selected in the family law category.  Mr. Eig was chosen one of the top estate-and-probate attorneys while Mr. Hodin was named in the real estate group.

Arthur G. House has been appointed to the Panel of Mediators of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), the country's leading provider of alternative dispute resolution services, an honor bestowed only to those with extensive mediation experience and training.  House, who chairs the firm's Alternative Dispute Resolution practice group, regularly serves as an arbitrator and as a private and court-appointed mediator in cases involving technology, licensing, real estate, commercial transactions and contracts. 

Louis H. Diamond, one of the leading ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) attorneys in the country, is the newest member of the Employee Benefits, Estate Planning and Tax practice groups, having joined the firm as Senior Of Counsel. He teaches one of the country's few ESOP college courses as an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and has written numerous ESOP-related articles and papers for some of the country’s most prestigious publications. He also is a frequent speaker at employee benefit and tax conferences, having regularly appeared at annual conferences of the ESOP Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants among others.

Tracey L. Perrick has joined the firm as an associate working in the Litigation, Family Law and Appellate Practice areas. Her commercial litigation work encompasses a variety of contractual disputes while she focuses her domestic litigation practice on divorce, custody and financial issues. A former law clerk for the Honorable Patrick L. Woodward on the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, Ms. Perrick graduated magna cum laude from both The University of Baltimore School of Law (earning her J.D.) and the University of Maryland (B.A.). She is a member of the Maryland Bar.

Marianne Kayan, a member of the firm's Tax, Estate Planning, Estate / Trust Administration and Business / Commercial Transactions practice groups, is one of only six attorneys in the country named to the Fellows Program of the American Bar Association's (ABA) "Real Property, Probate and Trust Law" Section. She received the two-year appointment based on "having demonstrated leadership at the state or local bar level." Ms. Kayan will work closely with the Section's International Tax Planning Committee in a program whose goal is to give active members an opportunity to become involved in the substantive work of the ABA and to develop future leaders.

Hope B. Eastman, chair of the firm's Employment Law practice group, was one of only three Washington-area attorneys selected in the "Employment Contracts" category of the Washington Business Journal's "2007 Top Washington Lawyers." The honor was based on her "...success and excellence in the period from January 2007 to the present," and she was the only attorney in Montgomery County to receive such recognition.

David P. Shapiro, a member of the firm’s Business / Commercial Transactions, Health Law, Government Contracts and Employment Law practice groups, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the prestigious National Philharmonic.  Consisting of a professional orchestra and a 150-voice all-volunteer chorale group, the National Philharmonic is the largest performing group in residence at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda. 

Jeffrey A. Kolender, a member of the firm's Estate Planning and Estate / Trust Administration practice groups, earlier this year participated in two presentations (one on "Wills" and the other on "Trusts") for the Law School for the Public, a community program of the Montgomery County Bar Foundation.  Currently in its 14th year, the Law School for the Public is televised over "Access Montgomery," part of Montgomery Community Television.

Dorothy Milam, a senior paralegal in the Estate Planning and Estate / Trust Administration practice groups, was recognized by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Unsung Legal Heroes.  She has provided outstanding service to the firm, its clients and the local legal community for the past 25 years.  She was nominated for this well-deserved honor by the Maryland Comptroller’s office for her pro bono assistance in helping to revise Maryland’s new estate tax returns.

Arnold B. Sherman, a member of the firm's Business / Commercial Transactions, Retirement Plans, Employee Benefits and Estate Planning practice groups, participated in a summer 2007 CLE (Continuing Legal Education) program presented by the Business Law Section of the Bar Association of Montgomery County.  His part of the presentation focused on the planning and drafting considerations for comprehensive business relationship/control agreements (e.g., buy-sell, shareholder and operating agreements).

Kathleen M. Dumais, a member of the firm's Litigation and Family Law practice groups, was chosen the Democratic Diva of the Year by the Young Democrats of Maryland Women's Caucus.  Dumais, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates (District 15-Montgomery County), was selected for having the greatest impact on women's rights over the course of the past year.

Patricia M. Weaver, a member of the firm's Litigation and Appellate Practice groups, and David P. Shapiro, who belongs to the Business / Commercial Transactions, Health Law and Computer, Internet & Technology groups, received awards from the Bar Association of Montgomery County in recognition of their service to the organization.  Patricia was honored as Committee Chair of the Year for the Social Committee and David for his work as Section Chair of the Year for the Business Law Section.

Paula A. Calimafde, who chairs the firm’s Retirement Plans and Employee Benefits practice groups, has been elected as a Fellow of The American College of Tax Counsel (ACTC). The ACTC is a nonprofit association made up of tax lawyers in private practice, in law school teaching positions and in government who are recognized for their excellence in tax practice and for their substantial contributions and commitment to the profession.  The College is composed of approximately 700 Fellows chosen by their peers in recognition of their outstanding reputations and contributions in the field of tax law.

Kathleen M. Dumais, a member of the firm’s Litigation and Family Law practice groups, has been selected one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, for the second time, by The Daily Record.  The award recognizes Maryland’s top 100 women for 2007, based on their impact through leadership, mentoring and community service.  Ms. Dumais, a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 15 in Montgomery County, also received the Public Policy Award from the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) for her legislative work in that field.

Deborah A. Cohn, a principal and member of the firm's Estate Planning, Estate / Trust Administration and Employee Benefits practice groups, has been accepted into the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), a network of over 11,000 members in 33 countries in common and civil law jurisdictions.  STEP is the professional body for trust and estate practitioners worldwide--comprised of attorneys, accountants, trust officers, bankers and financial advisors--that places special emphasis on domestic and offshore trusts, international law, anti-money laundering and tax and business law issues. 

Roy I. Niedermayer, a principal and member of the firm's Litigation and Appellate Practice groups, was elected President of the Yale Club of Washington, D.C.  The club, founded in 1874, today has close to 1,000 members, including President Bush, who is an honorary member.  The club's mission is to promote the welfare of the university, bring a knowledge of Yale to potential  Washington-area students and provide recreational and cultural programs to alumni throughout the area.  

Paula A. Calimafde, Chair of the Small Business Council of America, presented testimony before the Senate Finance Committee's subcommittee on Long-Term Growth and Debt Reduction.  The hearing was entitled "Small Business Pension Plans: How Can We Increase Worker Coverage?" and her comments focused on making permanent the larger contributions to retirement plans and IRAs currently allowed under the recent tax laws and other ideas which would encourage privately-owned businesses to sponsor retirement plans.  Ms. Calimafde chairs Paley Rothman's Retirement Plans and Employee Benefits practice groups.

Linda D. Schwartz has been elected to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and has also been appointed Chair of the Committee on Ethics for the Maryland State Bar Association.  Linda is a principal and a member of the firm’s Estate Planning, Estate / Trust Administration, Business / Commercial Transactions, Financial Services and Real Estate practice groups.

David P. Shapiro was appointed to a seat on the Montgomery County Business Law Section Advisory Counsel of the Bar Association for Montgomery County.  David is an associate and member of the firm’s Business / Commercial Transactions, Health Law and Employment Law practice group.